“. . . Afterwards, the Ecumenical Patriarch recalled that in this historic ecclesiastical Eparchy, the Fourth Ecumenical Council was held (451), in which the “dogma of Chalcedon” was formulated. “The Synod of Chalcedon has left an indelible record in the documents of the Great Church, through Canons 9, 17 and 28 it irrevocably ratified the position and responsibility of the Church of Constantinople as a center of unity and canonical appeal of Eastern Christianity,” His All-Holiness emphasized.
The new Metropolitan Geron Emmanual of Chalcedon had this to say: “. . . May the blessed Fathers gathered here in Constantinople honor the Ecumenical Patriarch, the only one who is honored to accept appeals, the superior who has the jurisdiction and accepts under him all the peoples outside the prescribed territories, and the all-holy institution, which since 1991 has been the most prominent personality of its History, Your Holy Highness. . .”
As for wherever the stallions were to be housed in the mighty archdiocese of Chalcedon, no mention was made.
Disgrace!
Dirty fingers.
Are these folks still pretending to be Orthodox? I thought they’d already begun a Unia. Wake me when it’s formalized. Until then it is just the raging of heathen.
So…is he the Metropolitan of 3 or 4 Christians? Cause that’s about how many are actually left in “Chalcedon”. Seriously, the circle Je**ing the guys in the Constantinople Patriarchate do is mind-boggling
lol – I understand what you’re saying, but crypto-Christians are plenty in Turkey, even till this day.
Even a new Metropolitan was ordained (valid? who knows?) for the the region-city Bursa recently.
It’s the fault of their predecessors that the Patriarchate didn’t temporarily move to Mt. Athos and stay there until the territory would be free and “Roman” again.
Does anyone have any solid information about these Crypto-Christians in Turkey?
I’ve had a monk relay some fantastical tales to me about them. He believes his sources are trustworthy. Some believe there are several million of them.
My sister visited Turkey several years ago on a pilgrimage. One of the stops was at Soumela. A woman there saw they were Orthodox Christians and approached my sister and told her she and others were Orthodox Christians but hid their faith from the the Turks. There was no way to verify this but she certainly seemed sincere. And there is certainly a catacomb church in Russia.
Most of the crypto christians reside in Pontos (Soumela being a kind of meeting base) and Cappadocia. Most of them actually came out of hiding in 1856 when the ottomons loosened regulations on religious minorities and declared themselves Orthodox, unfortunately not knowing the future fate it may have been better if they stayed underground Nevertheless I have a Pontian Greek friend from Thessaloniki her family has housed some of these crypto-christian who come to Thessaloniki to be baptised. There are also two Islamized Greek villages in Pontos that still speak Romeyka and identify as Rum to Orthodox visitors
Visiting Constantinople back in 2004 we went to several churches. It was a Saturday and in one of the churches the custodian was pacing the two and three candles on the altar. I assumed, correctly, that the bishop would be coming on Sunday. I mentioned this to him and he said the bishop came every Sunday because this was his only church!
Well, at least he went to services. He had that going for him!
“…the most prominent personality of its History”
Not St Photios? Not Michael Kerularios?
I’m really starting to think they are walking talking versions of the Babylon Bee…that has to be the only explanation…I mean, have they never heard of St. John Chrysostom?
The self-aggrandizing is getting old.
I thought of including St John Chrysostom myself,
but the reference is specifically to the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) and after.
Or Saint John Chrysostom?!
This is what God’s Church is supposed to look like?
Anaxios! Anathema!
Total ecclesiastical B.S. in the max degree.
Too bad ALL tbe Greek Orthodox swallow all this s**t! Thats even worst!
By not saying anthing, by not doing anything is equally just as bad and awful, if not more.
The entire body of the Clergy – Laity needs to finally react to all this nonsense, in a manner that will bring positive change for the better
The strenght of many superceeds that of the few!
As Lewis Caroll’s Queen of Hearts would say –
“Off with their heads!”
You should do some research before making such sweeping claims.
“ALL tbe Greek Orthodox [DO NOT]swallow all this s**t!
For the clergy, Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus, among others, does not.
For the laity, speaking only for myself, I do not. Read my posts.
However, in this I very much doubt I am alone.
I agree with Nicholas. The reason why is we Greek Orthodox when we do speak out are ganged up and told we are not true Greeks but Russian stooges. Sometimes they like to resort to their favored slander that no one should listen to us because we are probably fanatical old calendarists. Not to mention 98% of Greeks are modernists and actually dislike many of the traditional aspects of their own churches.
ALL is categorical.
98% is not.
There is no such thing as fanatical Orthodox, old calendar or not. Either you are Orthodox, according to the teachings and traditions of the faith, as it was “once delivered to the saints”, or you are not.
So are we to anticipate that Emanuel ~ Manny will be enthroned after Bartholomew ~ Bart departs this earth for who knows where ?
Dropee ~ For Shame.
Anaxios! Anathema!
Also connected to this story:
Reports appeared in the Greek media over the weekend indicating that there is great interest among the monks of Mt. Athos in receiving the COVID vaccine. A report was published in Greek on Romfea on Saturday and in English on Monday on Bio-Orthodoxy (a sister site of the popular Mystagog blog), stating that hundreds of doses had arrived and monks were already being vaccinated.
According to Bio-Orthodoxy, 400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived on Friday, and the first 36 monks, as well as monastery employees, were already vaccinated that day in the health center in Karyes, the capital of Mt. Athos. “There is relief among the monks that vaccinations have begun… [T]he initial reservations, the denial of some, even the conspiracy theories have receded,” the report reads, with reference to another Greek outlet, makthes.gr.
The first to be vaccinated was the abbot of New Esphigmenou Monastery, Archimandrite Bartholomew, followed by monks from Iveron, Koutloumousiou, and Simeonpetra.
The Athonite monks are “particularly fearful” because their cenobitic life puts them in close contact with one another, the report states.
The Orthodox Times reported the same day that, “The interest is increased and the monks from monasteries, hermitages, and cells rush to get vaccinated in the Health Center of Karyes.”
A follow-up report on Bio-Orthodoxy on Wednesday states that about 500 people, mostly monks, have already been vaccinated, and it is expected that the vaccinations will far exceed 1,000.
However, a report on orthodoxia-ellhnismos.gr on Tuesday, which was picked up by the popular Pentapostagma, paints quite a different picture.
Skeptical of the reports, the site contacted several fathers on Mt. Athos, who reported that the Athonite fathers were asked to declare their intention to be vaccinated about a month ago, so that enough doses could be ordered. Of the roughly 2,000 monks living on the Holy Mountain, fewer than 300 monks, or about 15%, expressed interest. Thus, 400 doses were sent for the interested monks and lay workers.
The fathers noted that several revered elders on the Holy Mountain have spoken out against the vaccine, including Elder Parthenios, the abbot of St. Paul’s Monastery, Elder Euthymius of the Holy Resurrection Kallyva in Kapsala, who was a disciple of St. Paisios, Elder Gabriel of the Kelli of St. Christodoulos of Patmos, also a spiritual child of St. Paisios, and Elder Paul of Vouleftiria, a doctor of molecular biology and biomedicine.
Many Athonites declare: “I refuse to become a guinea pig,” the report states. The fathers note that several monasteries had monks who suffered from coronavirus without need for serious medical care, and they do not agree with the method used for vaccination.
Further, Vatopedi Monastery considers the Pfizer vaccine ineffective and “inappropriate” and is conducting its own medical research to provide options.
See: https://orthochristian.com/138244.html
The fathers noted that several revered elders on the Holy Mountain have spoken out against the vaccine, including Elder Parthenios, the abbot of St. Paul’s Monastery, Elder Euthymius of the Holy Resurrection Kallyva in Kapsala, who was a disciple of St. Paisios, Elder Gabriel of the Kelli of St. Christodoulos of Patmos, also a spiritual child of St. Paisios, and Elder Paul of Vouleftiria, a doctor of molecular biology and biomedicine.
Many Athonites declare: “I refuse to become a guinea pig,” the report states. The fathers note that several monasteries had monks who suffered from coronavirus without need for serious medical care, and they do not agree with the method used for vaccination.
Also, and this is DEEPLY disappointing and disturbing(!):
While many are concerned about the ethics of using such vaccines, the Society writes that, “Several significant factors lead to the conclusion that the vaccines present the best ethical option to promote health and life, despite their connection with the use of aborted fetal cells.” The cells are from abortions decades ago, that were not performed for the sake of developing vaccines; many vaccines in use in the U.S. and worldwide are made from these cells, as other cell lines have proven ineffective for growing vaccines; and “Most Church leaders have agreed that the many lives saved by vaccination are an important factor in permitting the use of these vaccines,” the Society writes.
And: According to the document, a mask must still be worn even after a person has received a vaccine: “Yes. The reason for this is because the endpoint or goal of the Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials were to prevent severe Covid-19. Therefore, we do not yet know whether the vaccine will prevent transmission of virus. However, we will find out soon.”
Microchips cannot be inserted into the vaccines, the vaccines cannot alter DNA, and the vaccines are safe despite how quickly they were developed, the Society writes in response to these popular questions.
See: https://orthochristian.com/138235.html
At HCHC, they house seminarians with certain proclivities together. Then, later, they make them Metropolitans of Places of Nothing and Nowhere and put them in the succession cue. The table is now set for Bart’s successors (Manny, Elpi, and maybe Methodios) to battle it out with money, sex, and cash/land deals with their Turkish civil servant masters (without whom no one becomes patriarch).
In the end, he (or she) with the most cash (or Bitcoin) in a valise and who is the most easily manipulated will win.
BTW–no one becomes patriarch in Russia without Putin and the FSA’s okay, so let’s not go down that path.
American, if, what you say about the *ahem* housing situation at HC is true, then what happened to the American Catholic church will happen here.
It’s inevitable. Read Michael Rose’s book Goodbye, Good Men.
GM
You didn’t fall off a turnip truck out there in OK, you’re a very savvy player. The majority of Greek Orthodox hierarchy and synods worldwide contain large (even majority) cabals of the Boys In The Band. You knew that before I mentioned it. And yes, they have been “accommodated” at every stage of the process beginning at the seminary and ending in the Emerald City.
That’s why those of us in GOA have to abandon the current structure, retreat to our homes and catacombs, keep the faith as imperfectly as possible, and emerge in another era at another time.
“BTW–no one becomes patriarch in Russia without Putin and the FSA’s okay, so let’s not go down that path.”
I think this is a lie.
One of the reasons that C’ple created this mess with the Church in Ukraine is because in 1990, the Russian government/KGB no longer had control over the election of the Patriarch of Russia. Patriarch Pimen died in 1990, and Filaret Denisenko thought the KGB would help him become the next Patriarch, which (in his intense narcissism) he always coveted. But *surprise* – the KGB no longer had power over bishop/patriarchal elections in Russia by that time, Filaret Denisenko did not become the next patriarch (Patr Alexey did), and then Filaret, as part of his temper tantrum, created a break-away “Kievan Patriarchate” which is the mother of the current Ukrainian schism. (BTW, Patr Bartholomew of C’ple denounced Filaret in the late 1990s, before 20 years later when state department millions convinced him to reconsider.)
Honestly the Church in Russia is now more free than it has been in more than 300 years. Peter the Great in the early 1700s abolished the Patriarchate in the Russian Church to try to make the Church more subservient to the state — indeed, the Russian synod of bishops was more or less governed by a layman for 200 years (the oberprocurator, who wasn’t even a bishop) from the time of Peter the Great until 1917. The Patriarchate was reestablished in 1917 but that was in the middle of the Bolshevik takeover of Moscow, and we know how much the church suffered for 70 years under communism.
The Russian Church in its current state has not been more free to execute the will of God and to spread Christ on this earth since the early 1700s.
Those who state that the Russian Church is now merely a tool of Putin’s government either are (a) propagandists who hate the Russian Church and just want to undermine her, (b) don’t know what they are talking about, or (c) both.
American, FTS is quite correct in this matter.
I completely concur with your fully inclusive conclusion (c).
Watch out for Fr. Vasilios, Billie, Drossos an advisor to Elpi. This guy is bad news. I am amazed that Elpi brought him from the Phanar, considering the terrible reputation he has from his time at Holy Cross.
You do realize that it is unethical, possibly sinful, to spread libelous rumors without evidence? I sit on the board of HCHC and know the institution very well. I am also a regular reader of this blog. There is no housing of students with the “proclivities” you mention. You are just trying to be provocative. HCHC does indeed have issues. But this is not one of them. You should be careful about maligning fellow Christians, particularly those who are called to serve the priesthood.
The issue of sexual misconduct at HCHC has been widely reported.
[Editor Note: Content removed 3/27/21.]
How can one definitively say there is no housing of students with “proclivities?”
On another note, there is also evidence to suggest the Greek Orthodox hierarchy and synods worldwide contain “cabals of the Boys In The Band.” Fancy Bear had a field day in 2018 when they hacked into the Ecumenical Patriarch’s emails. Some of this information found its way to the general public.
I think he means that there’s no deliberate housing of ‘those with proclivities’ in a specific domicile with one another. Of course, people can go under the radar, or rather, the gaydar, something that not all of us are fitted with.
I know some HCHC students and graduates and they are fine people. I trust Armodios’ statement and don’t believe that they concentrate such people together.
Holy Cross (HCHC.edu) does not have anything close to 11 coed residences! Where do you get such false information?! There is one residence, Polemanakos, for single students: men on one side, women on other, with no direct connections; all rooms single. Married students live in a different section of campus in townhouse/apartment style single family units.
Holy Cross certainly has lots of issues, but by spreading such false information, your ultimate message is refuted. As a married seminarian, I heard rumors of some gays on campus, but certainly no grouping of them as a cabal. Ridiculous!
Iereus, what can I say? I goofed. Mea culpa!. Gail looked up “Holy Cross” and gave me this information. Literally, I was shocked. I had forgotten that there is another Holy Cross, a Catholic one. We both regret the error but the majority of the blame goes to me as I should have remembered the Catholic institution, thus sparing my boss of any embarrassement.
I greatly regret posting the wrong information about your school and I apologize. Please forgive me!
However, I was not trying to spread “false information.” I was trying to provide some context.
Let me try again with the right information.
“HCHC offers private dorm rooms to all single students who choose to live on campus. Communal lounges with couches and televisions, a study room, a rec room with pool and ping-pong tables, a kitchenette and seating area, and laundry facilities are shared by all students.”
I hate to point out the obvious, but if there were a gay cabal, it would be a lot easier to keep it under wraps in an environment with private rooms.
A cabal is just a “secret faction.” It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s large either.
I think what you’re trying to say is that you don’t provide gay housing. That makes sense.
America said something different, though. He said that at HCHC, “seminarians with certain proclivities are housed together [as in sections of rooms, perhaps]”. You didn’t address this. You said, “There is no housing of students with the “proclivities” you mention.”
Any school could be housing gay students without the board knowing. What makes HCHC different is that it’s under greater scrutiny because of all the press. My point was America isn’t necessarily wrong.
You could easily get to the bottom of this by asking your students and staff what they’ve observed (or believe to be true) as a follow-up to the investigation.
I apologize for coming across as harsh…what I get for not having Presvytera proof my comment! There are many things that Holy Cross can be rightly criticized for. I’m sure there were/are gays there, as well as some modernists/ecumenists, and even Democrats! However, I will always be grateful to have studied there, allowing an unworthy sinner to be made worthy to serve God and His Holy Orthodox Church.
Thank you for this, lereus.
I’m fairly certain Metropolitan Methodios is not a Turkish citizen, and thus ineligible for election as EP. He was born in NYC and is as American as it gets. To put His Eminence in an ‘intrigue list’ with the GOArch Archbishop or Emmanuel is quite an astounding lack of awareness of the current situation in the Greek Orthodox Church!!!
This is true, but vacuously so. All the single seminarians live together in the dormitory, regardless of alleged proclivities.
The room assignments are not made with any sort of reference to whether people have “proclivities” or not.
The Patriarch of Constantinople said this:
“To date, you have applied what was proposed by the Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church (Crete, 2016) for the meeting of religions: `The Church strives to make `the peace from on high’ more tangibly felt on Earth. True peace is not achieved by force of arms, but only through love that `does not seek its own’ (1 Cor 13.5). The oil of faith must be used to soothe and heal the wounds of others, not to rekindle new fires of hatred.’” (Encyclical, § 17).
How can he say this and do the exact opposite? Look at Ukraine! This man, Bartholomew is using force of arms to cast out people and clergy from their own Churches, and rekindling new fires of hatred.
And likely the United States tax payers are paying for all of this.
Sad, isn’t it?
Pat, in an effort to be charitable there is this to consider: Romans 7:19-25 starting “For the good that I would, I do not: but the evil that I would not..that I do…..
Then there is the deep challenge from the worldly mind that oppresses us all to some degree: “Doing the greatest good for the greatest number.”
Sounds great but is a deeply deceptive evil, especially for those in leadership of any kind.
Let’s see:
Canon 9: Bishop first, then Synod, then “the throne of the imperial city of Constantinople”.
* checks to see if such exists * NOPE. It’s neither “the imperial city” nor “Constantinople” anymore. Ergo, irrelevant.
Canon 17: Deals with existing parishes at the time, plus any “erected by imperial authority”. i.e. Not most of the world. Also subject to the same restrictions as Canon 9, by way of the phrase, “as aforesaid.”
Canon 28 (if it’s even legit): Contingent upon the city’s status as the imperial capital, “with the Sovereignty and the Senate”. None of that exists anymore.
Also, expansion of authority is limited to the Dioceses of Pontus, Asia (meaning here Asia Minor) and Thrace. Even so, doesn’t give any right of refusal to ordain the elected men. This is an absolute limit and qualifier on the “among the barbarians” phrase. It does not say “all among the barbarians”, but rather, “the metropolitans only and such bishops also of the Dioceses aforesaid as are among the barbarians.”
(Source for text: https://earlychurchtexts.com/public/chalcedon_canons.htm)
For you historians, Some questions. What finally caused believers in the West to finally rebel against the Roman Catholic Church and its practices? Why do you think that they ended up abolishing, for the most part, the priesthood?
Just curious to learn if there is anything in common between the two situations, 500 years apart.
The devil fights ten times (or more) as hard against our clergy, which is why they need our prayers.
They also need, of course, to be held accountable.
https://orthodoxtimes.com/ecumenical-patriarch-reshuffles-the-cards/
So it’s such a growing rumor that they need to address it in this way?
This is so bizarre.
Bizarre is not saying enough. It is like a nihilist theater of the absurd on meaninglessness.
Right? Insane. The whole world is in an upheaval and all he can think about is his “throne” and who’s going to get it.
Great turn of the phrase, Michael. Beyond absurd. Like all liberal projects, nihilistic to the core.
What did I just read?
Is this Christianity?
This is politics…
Who writes the articles in the Orthodox Times? The writing is not very good – weirdly simple and stilted – perhaps produced by non-native speakers?
When they began they got a $100,000 grant from the State Department.
So much for the separation of church and state.
Perhaps they use a Microsoft grammar checker.
Him thinking of his throne is one thing but in what world do the author and editor of the site live?
On very good authority, Patriarch Demetrios knew he was gong to be succeeded by Bartholomew and he didn’t like that at all.
Maybe instead of asking for the Lord’s blessing on the President of the United States during GOA litanies we should ask for those blessings fall on Sultan Erdogan of Turkey?
Just saying.